Halloween etc

Hello!


Just a run-through of all that went on in the last few weeks - with pictures, hyperlinks and FREQUENT BOUTS OF THIS KIND OF THING.


First off, I bought a table for Bristol 2012 - it crippled the budget a little but it's where Dr WTF emerged last year, it cemented my conviction to move to Bristol and it seemed to contain an astrological alignment of awesome folk. Worth every penny I think.

The drawn-on moustache can only mean ONE THING! Halloween happened. Due to some accidental glasses ridiculousness and budgetary constraints (see previous paragraph) it was a fairly indoorsy weekend but there was much cider consumed and SATIRICAL PUMPKINS WERE USED AS PUNCHBOWLS.

Over the Halloween period I got two superior guitar-based gigs in as well. The first was John Fairhurst, a steel-guitar botherer and supremely talented fellow who I absorbed in a local pub - much to my own surprise. The second was Anna Calvi - with all sparse riffy atmospherics and that. In an old church. ON HALLOWEEN. Spooky. All credit to Ann Marie(?) and the unparalleled Mullendo for dragging me along to both!

Afore I get on to art pimping do support STRIP magazine - a new British anthology (we need more of those) featuring PJ Holden, John Ridgway, John McCrea etc with SUPERIOR lettering throughout from the superlative letterer Jim Campbell! Go on. They've brought back Hookjaw.


ART

Hohoho The finale to the second ever Time Tale. HILARIOUS, isn't it? No? You do better - write me a three-part time tale and I'll do it. Go on. I DARE YOU.

The sixth and seventh parts of Jamella and Marmalad - observe the first defeat of the Jammy Dodger and the first appearance of Jamella's parents! HOW CURIOUS. We are lodged in a jammy flashback. All due nods to the beautiful Jazz Woods wot writes 'em!

Ah! The third part of Flaubert St Cloud (Goat) - a FREE teaser of which will be available at Thought Bubble this year. The art is a tad out-of-date. BUT OH WELL ;) If you see me or Jazz then shout us down and you'll 'ave it.

A non-existent cover for a non-existent comic that no-one is interested in - back to the drawing... bed. You'll be pleased to hear I won't be doing any more of these non-collaborative hero-bating things again - it's ultimately just disappointing. Tis much more rewarding to just please yourself. Ignore the innuendo and let us continue!

Here's a skeletal facsimile of Locusts of Death - forthcoming editor of an 'orror comic and jobbing small press writer extraordinare. DO check out his collaboration with Ghostpockets in the free horror comic Hallowscream. It fucking beggars the mind.

Don't have nightmares.

A birthday image for my friend Sophie - featuring her INCREDIBLY POPULAR Sherlock shirt design - and Matt Smith.

Here's some fantasy heads also - from a project that will never happen. C'est la wotsit.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR...

And what an entry we have for you this fortnight, the FIRST OFFICIAL teaser, a BIT OF PLEADING and THE RAMBLINGS OF A MADMAN.

Ain't she a beaut?! From a special little tale by David Frankum. What a lovely man.

Secondarily - we need artists. If you've not got involved thus far and you think you can do three or five pages for the 1st of February deadline... I NEED YOU. 

:THE BALLAD OF THE CIVIL WAR DOCTOR:. 

It started moons ago, when David Tennant was on the throne. I produced this bit of rot in 2007.

"Metal Paul, killer of posers and wearer of denim was overjoyed when he was called back by the beeb with regards to his Whoaudition (hastily organized when David Tennant was killed to death by several angry Whofans who 'really thought the mockney gurning was just getting too much')."

When it was announced that Matt Smith was taking over as the Doctor I saw red - assuming "a romcom in space" type affair might occur. So in 2009 I tried to picture THE MOST HARDCORE Doctor - a battle-scarred veteran of a thousand psychic wars who'd been living on the edge so long where the winds of limbo roar (cheers Moorcock).

Here he be (although he's been remastered since observe my standard titles) and I got quite into the idea of him really. He'd nicked the uniform off of an abusive general who had been feeding his troops to an alien of some sort - and his companion was to be a Union soldier (a la Jamie I suppose who is surely the best companion of all time). After this he grows a beard and meets his former self in the snow - who is shocked, either at the prospect of his own future or the terrible skills of O before he got a graphics tablet and learnt how to letter.

Immediately after this he gets into a fight with a dinosaur who tries to eat his TARDIS. Also I don't think that's a Civil War uniform anymore... it looks like Jeremiah Phallushamr's uniform. Shit. 

At some point later in his timeline he adopts a more Otastic purple suit - where he appears in an alleyway de-bearded to confront an implausible action figure from the Ghostbusters cartoon.

WHAT OH WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THIS IMPLAUSIBLE NON-CANONICAL DOCTOR? IT'S UP TO YOU. Also the Weekly Themed Art Blog as I've decided I'm going to slot him into everything I do for them now. Ahahahahaha. 

O

Mid-October Goings-On

Steve Padfield

An occasional barman at my eternal local - The Rife's - Steve was killed in a motorbike accident at the beginning of the month. He was a bloody lovely man and I'll miss him terribly. One evening in the pub, after a staff party I think, Steve enthusiastically drew a tattoo-style tribute to our hallowed drinking hall in one of my old sketchbooks. When I next return home I'll find it and give it to them. Terribly sad - a good barman is never forgotten.

Hill Fort Wedding
It was a nice day for one. So there was one. There are pictures, but I don't know where they are. M'colleague Dr John Davey was getting married (to his wife) and it was all SOMERSET THEMED. So verily, there was a living tonne Burrow Hill cider and the fields around Cadbury castle did ring with merry laughter and the familiar sounds of barn dancing. For there was a barn dance.


Thought Bubble 2011
Got my tickets for this - so me and the lady are going to be getting our comic clogs on with an armful of Dr WTFs, a portfolio or two, several business cards and enough money for drinks and copious issues of small press anthologies. Sadly we won't have a table but something will be arranged. I won't say much, I'll just leave it at this:

ICN Awards

Have YOU voted yet?! Thought not - go here and do so 

Recommendations (WINK WINK)

Dirk Van Dom and Vanguard 

(Best Self-Published Irish Writer, Best Irish Self-Published Comic, Best Overall Comic)

Dirk is the editor (and only writer) of Vanguard, whose first issue I drew Mammoth Jack for - a wonderful new anthology and worth supporting. I'm in the next one in a limited capacity - unfortunately time, like pies, got the best of me.

Mike Lynch 

(Best Self-Published Irish Writer)

Mr Lynch wrote my upcoming Zarjaz tale (more details of that incoming) and has written a wee strip for Dr WTF?! 2012 which Trystan Mitchell is illustrating and which is CLEARLY GOING TO KICK ARSE.

Michael Carroll

(Best Mainstream Irish Writer)

Seen here talking to some sort of sheep thing on Irish television, Michael writes Judge Dredd occasionally writes lots of good books, and DESIGNED THE DR WTF LOGO (for which, I gather, he's winning the award).

Othello & Ouroubouros
Went to Sheffield. Seem to go to Sheffield a lot less these days. Probably because I don't live there anymore. It's a contributing factor. When I did go I saw two MARVELLOUS O-related things... and I'm not talking about my FANTASTIC EARS.

Othello with Dominic West and Clarke Peters (the best actor alive). Look at them there. It was incredible.

T'other was Uroborus, a sort of Sheffield-centric writery picturey poetry type book that was launched by my good friend Martin Collins the day after I left. Yerk. - Check it out, I've done a picture in there. Looks like that picture up there.

Halloscream
A 'yon while ago I drew a strip for this horror anthology - they're looking for funding. In exchange for a tenner you get an anthology and THE GRATITUDE OF A SMALL PRESS EDITOR. Let me tell you that's worth thousands. Thousands of millions. Help 'em out they're good dudes


Elemental Pluggery
I start work on the Elemental comic soon enough and the chap himself gave us a wee plugnudge on his site - my fingers are itching to go on it but I've got a few special somethings to do first ;)

O's Time Tales
Below are the three Time Tales you've missed - click on the title back there for the full four. The latest arc contains a cameo from the astounding Al Hilton. Who was the 100th like of the Crazy Fox Machine facebook page :D

Jamella & Marmalad

 Parts Three to Five - including Nich Angell's favourite sound effect. Clue: It's not "Splotch"

Other Stuff

FAQ: Did this ever happen in Star Trek? Probably not, it's just what came into my mind.

          Do you hate Star Trek? No. I just imagine the crew of the 60s Enterprise to be cyclops-haters

          Is this the Harryhausen Cyclops from Sinbad? No. This one is blue and in space.             

Image for Glastonbury-based credit union. For three reasons 

A) I sold out B) They paid me C) I love drawing thugs

Last night I spent all evening on a mission to please Mark Gatiss - his edition of Desert Island Discs was so sweet and touching it made me hungry to make him happy. Instead I punished him by taking an idea he was toying with and making it look like the first in a series of Doctor Who childrens books. Drawn by an idiot. 

It's been a nice few weeks for Dr WTF - we've been reviewed by the wonderful Rich McAuliffe at Everything Comes Back to 2000ad who describes us as "like Doctor Who meets the old Revolver comic" - which is pretty fucking special. Cheers Rich - ! We also got a wee mention on the seminal Small Press, Big Mouth podcast around 34 minutes in. We confuse the wondrous Stacey Whittle - but she likes the art. WHICH IS THE IMPORTANT THING. Also hearing my blurb read out in a Geordie accent is like being snogged by Jesus. Warm.

In terms of creator news we've had some stuff in from BIRTHDAY BOY Louis Carter whose story with Greg Meldrum in 2012 is going to be THE MOST DISTURBING THING YOU'VE EVER READ.

There are still plenty of physical and digital copies of Dr WTF 2011 to be had - you get a free sketch with digital ones and - it's only two quid! Physicals are a fiver including postage. AND THEY HAVE SPINES.

That's my mid-October - I'll see you after the great Bristol zombie walk - !!!

O x

The Dark and Sinister Rise of Thrice-Weekly Comics

...I have, at some point in the last fortnight, lost my FLIPPING MIND.


That is - I took it upon myself (thinking mistakenly perhaps I was a figure of extreme brain activity and talent) to start a weekly webcomic. Not too difficult, you might scoff. ONLY I'M GOING TO DO TWO.


No, not two. Three. Just for a lark. To ease me into this diabolical shamble of a plan the midweek will, for a few weeks at least, be repeats. THEN IT WILL BEGIN. Soon I'll be shackled to the desk. Grunting like a shot dog crawling over rusty nails - my quivering hand sweaty palmed on graphics tablet pen. Fused to my mind the two STATIC in unbelievable GRINDING IMMOBILITY.


Jamella & Marmalad - Mondays


So the first one is about a jam slug. It was created one ecstatic morning at work, where for reason beyond reason my BETTER HALF and I decided that a jam slug would be the best possible thing we could create a world around. First two are below.

Crabcake/Flaubert - Alternating Wednesdays


In amongst the various follies and adventures of my 2011 daydream psychedelic Bristol mash I have rather let two of my most beloved projects slip gently and rather sadly to the wayside. NO MORE. I've picked them up, I've shaken them out. Crabcake will start repeating, and it'll take a jolly long time to get up to speed but I hope it'll generate some renewed interest because at the end of the run I'M GOING TO PRINT THE FUCKER.
That's right. The same goes with Flaubert - except the new stories will come much quicker and be printed much later on but gollyblimey it'll be a lark. Another project (if you're not aware) that was conjured by my more favourable quadrangle of self.

O's Time Tales - Fridays

Yeah. I've long since had an affair with traversing time. Glorious and a bit of a lark - eh wot? These'll come in three or four parts. And they'll be weird. Some of them will have jokes. Some won't - and they'll all concern time travel of some kind.


You can see all of this stuff AS IT HAPPENS on Wordpress.

Why if it isn't Harry Heston - Apejudge extraordinare and star of the original 2000ad fanzine Class of '79. Created by Jake Lynch & Stewart Crofts-Perkins with art by the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Flint. The magazine was a forerunner of Zarjaz, which I've just completed a five-pager for.... long may the fanzines roll!!

Yes yes yes - bark and whatfor. Doctor WTF 2012 is progressing very well, with a potential cover artist OF HIGH REGARD and a cameo from 2000ad characters! I'll share with you two sketches of the Doctor from two of the new artists from next year's issue: Filip Roncone and Trystan Mitchell. 

In Dr WTF 2011 news, the website was directing e-mails to a false address. So - I mean, if anyone ordered anything I didn't get it. Unfortunate, but it's working now so if you used it - do so again!

Will return - keep watching Wordpress and the Dr WTF Facebook page for live developments - !

O x

Rejections and Future Projects

Good evening,

It's been a wonderful fortnight and very productive so much so my poor Wacom exploded (it didn't but it did irreparably break). The majority of the time was spent traversing the beautiful scenery of Snowdonia park - staying in a little cottage out near Barmouth. A lot of cider was consumed, and a great deal of stuff got drawn. I even finished me and Mike Lynch's Zarjaz strip which was a hell of a relief! Not sure when it'll be out but I'll keep ye posted. EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

FAILED AUDITIONS

This here is a mouse with a bazooka, an audition for a CCG that didn't come to pass. Unfortunate as it seemed like a lark - had great fun cooking this up and FOR once (it shows) I didn't use any references at all. 

This one was for a kid's book. I won't let you in on the specific plots for fear of upsetting the editor. Safe to say it's a damned shame but it would have been a hell of a lot of work. Any practice is good practice though - !

MISCELLANEOUS JAMMERY

This here is a blast from the past. A late night Sinister Dexter sketchy

 doodle thing that is a re-interpretation of this thing 

from way back when (I think 2004 maybe). I was always fond of drawing those two despite the fact the actual strip has, over the years, grown rather dull. Plus Anthony Williams' art makes me want to tear out my eyes and then bury them. 

Here's a little something something for The Weekly Themed Art Blog whose theme this week was "bugs and whatnot" - the idea of big massive things with tons of legs terrifies me. The don't even seem alive somehow, just horrible collections of nasty. I think I'm near to being over spiders (I live near a tarantula these days and I've come to regard it as being quite sweet) but SPIDER CRABS and those huge cave millipedes drive me out of my mind with fear. Spindly legs...crawling.... ANYWAY - this is partially inspired by a Sliders episode (I KNOW) that always bugged me out (EXCELLENT PUN) as a kid where a giant bloody wasp got on someone's back and the guy was all like WTF THIS WASP IS MASSIVE ARGH and then everyone was like WE'RE GOING TO ANOTHER DIMENSION THIS ONE IS SHIT. 

So here it is - the teaser for a new project starring (and officially endorsed by) Professor Elemental. It's written by The Mole and will be drawn by myself, James Feist, Liam Byrne and Noah Rodenbeek with a potentially secret cover from an EISNER-AWARD WINNING ARTIST WHO WON AN EISNER AWARD PRESUMABLY FOR BEING SUCH A RUDDY GOOD ARTIST.

Finally - here is a play written on Facebook for shits and giggles this past Saturday. I love writing tiny plays. I want to write a tiny play every day for the rest of my life. I'm not going to though, I'm probably going to draw.

The curtain rises, the stage is laid out like the interior of a train. It's the "Quiet Zone" - there are large signs everywhere to emphasise this. There is a long-haired man of fluffy chin and podgy belly who has a head like a crushed baby. He sits drawing and contemplating the miriad daily anxieties which make the world spin.

Opposite him is a young gangster-type, restless and clothed in Nike. He is on the phone. He does speak in that humorous "yoof" manner that Radio 4 finds so compelling - but I won't write his dialogue that way because I'm not a cretin. This man is named Big Harold.

Big Harold: Yes, Stephen - I would like you to bring the Gucci belt to the party this evening. Because it makes me look very attractive to young ladies.

Pause

Big Harold: Yes, of course they like it when you dress like that. Women love stylish men and I am a stylish man because I have a Gucci belt.

Enter Patricia, she is a large middle-class woman who drinks wine I expect. Her husband is also with her - a nervous sheep of a human with an expression of permanent bleh. She sits opposite Big Harold and begins to fret and cluck in the way most people who complain loudly down their noses at everyone else does. 

Big Harold: - YES GUCCI IS IN STEPHEN I READ IT ON TELETEXT

Patricia: Excuse me young man but this is the quiet carriage you can't use your phone in here - !

Big Harold: Shut up, bitch

Patricia recoils 

Patricia: You can't talk to me like that, my father was once friends with the nephew of a lawyer! How dare you!

The long-haired artist has gone wide-eyed and is looking (more) nervous. It is now that the ticket man arrives; a weary middle-aged man with glasses and one of those machines wot does tickets. His name is Ticketerio.

Patricia: Here, conductor! This man is being abusive to me!

Big Harold: Shut up, bitch

Ticketerio: You can't talk to her like that sir, and you're not allowed to be on your phone in here.

Big Harold rises, indignant.

Big Harold: Why NOT?! It's a free country, I can speak to who I like where I like! This bitch isn't asleep, I'm not doing anything to offend her on my phone. 

Patricia: How dare-

Big Harold: Shut up! What is wrong with you people?

Ticketerio: This is the Quiet Zone, sir. You have to be quiet in here.

Big Harold, still standing - is now in a state of outrage

Big Harold: What is that?! How was I supposed to know that?! It says that nowhere in here.

It's at this point the artist rises shakily to his feet, passing Big Harold (who politely steps aside) and the curtain comes down, with the three still squabbling (the actors can ad lib this bit - although I'll need to have them run it past me - I did a production of Under Milk Wood in Hull New Theatre 1994 and the cast began chirriping like crickets - I have no idea why, that's actors for you). The longhair steps through the curtain to address the audience.

Longhair: Seriously this happened to me today. Yes there was some liberties taken with names and dialogue, and the whole thing was much longer and the gangster chap broke into song but the principal thing was the same. The most worrying thing was, that when I stepped off the train - another young fellow who was in the same carriage ran up to the confrontational colin and CONGRATULATED him. On standing up to the man. On shouting down the snooty lady. Weird, eh? Why did I decide to write it out as a play - ? Because it unnerved me. It unnerved me and I'm the kind of person who would rather write a small play than unpack dirty laundry.

He walks back to the curtain, and just as he is about to dissappear he turns to the audience again

Longhair: Who was the real antagonist in this drama? 

Exit Longhair

Patricia's Husband (Off-Stage): IT WASN'T ME

Brum 2011

 The second convention that Dr WTF showed up at this year - and it went spiffingly. Despite the cost for a single day's selling me and co-seller Jazz (pictured below - flogging tons more copies than have ever been sold) did alright!

We also got some gorgeous sketches from passers-by - and I drew POWERGIRL for Jatinder Ghataora's POWERGIRL COLLECTION OF POWERGIRLS.

                                                              

Also so did Jazz -

Oh dear.

Now some words  on folks and comics that you should LOOK AT and BUY:
Dave Evans - Futurequake/Zarjaz/Dogbreath

King of the small press, Mr Dave Evans occasional acts as my Dr Cox-style mentor into the wondrous world of small press. I cannot recommend any other anthologies higher for sheer variety and over-the-wall out-the-shed through-the-garden over-the-other-wall silliness. Everyone I love are in 'em - including (but not limited to) my Bristol tablemate Dave Thomson - the ever-lovin' James Feist - "The Nicest Man That's Dave Frankum" Dave Frankum - with covers by Alex Ronald and Neil Ford. BUY IT

Nich Angell - 7 String/Cat & Meringue

The incredible 7 String (a musical epic) and the CONSTANT Cat & Meringue are products of the glorious Nich Angell. A man who so doggedly conventions it I can barely conceive of the material that powers him. Awkwardly positioned opposite the queue for Dave Gibbons at Brum this year but with A LOVELY BANNER and doodling Cat & Meringue live. I recommend passing him a visit and buying his stuff and TOUCHING HIS FACE.

D'Israeli - SVK/Timularo/Lazarus Churchyard/Low Life/Scarlet Traces/Leviathan/etc etc etc

My absolute hero - the LIVING GOD OF SPACE (ALSO COMICS). Mr Matt Brooker was sharing a table with the fabulous Ian Edginton (who is gloriously mixing all of his stories running in 2000ad into one massive continuity cake which I hugely approve of). I'd never met him before so I spent an embarrassing amount of time near him trying to grab his face - I also purchased SVK (a comic with a UV torch and hidden speech bubbles and a collection of early works called Timularo). He also did a sketch for Dr WTF. Oh yes.

Wayne Hughes - Carrot Graphix/Sabre

A chap I met on the train up from Bristol who rather embodied the spirit of the convention for me. Enthusiastic friendly and talented as the working day is long. I recommend you check him out and I look forward to his contribution to Dr WTF 2012 ;)

Other glorious folk - Matthew Soffe, Dunk Nimmo, Carcass & Slime -

Dr WTF will only be at Thought Bubble in a limited capacity, although I will be there with my portfolio and business cards and I WILL STICK THEM DOWN YOUR FACE. SERIOUSLY. EAT IT.

O x